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Jon Halapio Interview Notebook

On Tuesday afternoon senior offensive lineman Jon Halapio met with the media to talk about the upcoming year.

He talked about several things from the strength of the offense, to Jeff Driskel stepping up more as a leader this offseason.

GatorCountry.com will have a ton more coverage of Jon Halapio but first things first, a quick notebook from Halapio.

Halapio said that improving on the 39 sacks given up last season was the biggest message this offseason.

The lack of protection from the offensive line is something that Halapio said affected Jeff Driskel.

Halapio said that Driskel not having to worry about winning the starting job has helped the Gators’ quarterback to be able to spend more time on crafting his game.

One thing missing from the offense last year was a vocal leader, Halapio says that Driskel has stepped up to be that guy.

Improving on the amount of sacks given up last year and having one of the best rushing games in the country are the top goals for the offensive line according to Halapio.

Bigger, stronger, faster and working on their lower body have been the main message from offensive line coach Tim Davis to the offensive lineman this year.

Tyler Moore and Max Garcia were two huge additions to the team that have helped add experience to the offensive line according to Halapio.

Camp should be interesting for the linemen Halapio said, as depth is no longer an issue for the linemen.

Toughest team to block last season for Halapio was LSU.

Practicing against Florida’s defensive line is something that Halapio says helps them prepare for teams like LSU and Alabama.

Halapio plays Candy Crush about three hours a day he said jokingly.

Florida is real close to getting back to Atlanta according to Halapio.

Halapio said that Matt Jones is a very physical runner.

Halapio said that Matt Jones talked after a conditioning session and told him he wanted Halapio to help him break Emmitt Smith’s rushing record.

Halapio described Matt Jones as a freak of an athlete.

This year’s team should be more balanced between the offense and the defense.

About Andrew Spivey

Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

On Tuesday afternoon senior offensive lineman Jon Halapio met with the media to talk about the upcoming year.

He talked about several things from the strength of the offense, to Jeff Driskel stepping up more as a leader this offseason.

GatorCountry.com will have a ton more coverage of Jon Halapio but first things first, a quick notebook from Halapio.

Halapio said that improving on the 39 sacks given up last season was the biggest message this offseason.

The lack of protection from the offensive line is something that Halapio said affected Jeff Driskel.

Halapio said that Driskel not having to worry about winning the starting job has helped the Gators’ quarterback to be able to spend more time on crafting his game.

One thing missing from the offense last year was a vocal leader, Halapio says that Driskel has stepped up to be that guy.

Improving on the amount of sacks given up last year and having one of the best rushing games in the country are the top goals for the offensive line according to Halapio.

Bigger, stronger, faster and working on their lower body have been the main message from offensive line coach Tim Davis to the offensive lineman this year.

Tyler Moore and Max Garcia were two huge additions to the team that have helped add experience to the offensive line according to Halapio.

Camp should be interesting for the linemen Halapio said, as depth is no longer an issue for the linemen.

Toughest team to block last season for Halapio was LSU.

Practicing against Florida’s defensive line is something that Halapio says helps them prepare for teams like LSU and Alabama.

Halapio plays Candy Crush about three hours a day he said jokingly.

Florida is real close to getting back to Atlanta according to Halapio.

Halapio said that Matt Jones is a very physical runner.

Halapio said that Matt Jones talked after a conditioning session and told him he wanted Halapio to help him break Emmitt Smith’s rushing record.

Halapio described Matt Jones as a freak of an athlete.

This year’s team should be more balanced between the offense and the defense.

Andrew Spiveyandrewspiveyandrew.spivey1987@yahoo.comAuthorAndrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.GatorCountry.com